This is most certainly true. The work ethic has changed
Posted By: olderMT on 2008-09-15
In Reply to: Isn't it interesting that most of the positive sm - Old and Wise
And it is an old fashioned thing to stay, rather than throw away a long-term relationship or seek one out. Looking for something new and better rather than building seniority seems to be the ideal these days. I am not saying not to leave if something is wrong. Any intelligent person would do so. But to want longevity in a particular company that seems to be a thing of the past, not only in this business, but in many. Times change and people change. For me, bird in hand worth 2 in bush. :)
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Where did work ethic go?
I am currently doing recruiting for a company. I hired 5 people who were very interested and then I get one excuse after another why they can't train today. I find this frustrating. Then when I do get someone hired, they are sloppy, uneducated, and complain about everything. I see all these posts that say I want more money, but if you are doing your job without work ethic, why would an MTSO want to pay you more? IMO that is why the pay rates are so low. You get so many that are too lazy to work and want more money!!?? If you all want the rates to go UP, please have some work ethic, do not lie on your resumes, and start doing your jobs irregardless of what your pay starts at. If you do the right thing, you are more likely to get a raise.
In my most recent experience it went out the door. I was working a job and a half, 4 hrs at Walmart, 6 to 10pm. Then 11pm to 7am for my fulltime job. I showed up at 5:45pm every eve for 3 months. Ask several times for more training, but their system just puts you in the trenches to do the best you can on your own. My 90 day evaluation rolls around, department manager calls me into the back office, already has the form filled out, I got beats for attendance. Meets for everything else, except below in the zoneing area. Ask me if I had anything to say, I said Walmart Training sucks. And I'd ask for training several times. . .and to write that down. Next day the Store Assistant Manager tells me that I'm to put all the returns back on the shelf before I leave the store that night, and I'm to call her before I leave. 10pm I call her, she says some other new manager will come to the unit. 10:06pm I sells my last item, log off the register, turn out the lights, grab my coat and walk to the back to punch out. Made me 5 minutes late for my other job. (First time ever, and I'm never late. Not in 38 years of working. So in my case I guess my work ethic walked out the door.
Cheers,
Steve J
Where did work ethic go?
I am currently doing recruiting for a company. I hired 5 people who were very interested and then I get one excuse after another why they can't train today. I find this frustrating. Then when I do get someone hired, they are sloppy, uneducated, and complain about everything. I see all these posts that say I want more money, but if you are doing your job without work ethic, why would an MTSO want to pay you more? IMO that is why the pay rates are so low. You get so many that are too lazy to work and want more money!!?? If you all want the rates to go UP, please have some work ethic, do not lie on your resumes, and start doing your jobs irregardless of what your pay starts at. If you do the right thing, you are more likely to get a raise.
The work ethic has plummeted everywhere, not just MT. sm
On one of those TV magazine shows a few years ago, the employers interviewed said the young workers these days have no ambition, no initiative, expect top dollar, and want everything handed to them. The employers said they preferred hiring older workers and retirees to get a good job done, but younger ones were cheaper to hire.
In the MT business, the older, experienced, expert MTs are retiring, injured, or plain burned out. Those of us fortunate enough to work for nationals who pay us what we're worth will hang on as long as we have jobs, watching the rest of the jobs going offshore, unfortunately.
MTSOs should be rewarding their good MTs, rather than taking advantage of them, and they sure do take advantage!!
Work Ethic and the American MT
I just had to say something about the disparaging remarks made against the American MT. I think they are the gold standard of the industry. I have seen the work sent from Third World MTs. Full read QA often translates to 95% rewrite. I feel even stronger about owners of companies using the Third World MTs. Many of the offices warehouse hundreds of sweatshop transcriptionists who cannot leave until they reach their quota. Any woman should be ashamed of exploiting these women and then trying to exploit the American QA by paying them slave wages to bring their work up to a standard that would fool many clients who do not know where their work is being sent. I applaud any work that mistakenly gets sent to the client before a complete rewrite by an American editor. The client should see the value their money is getting. There is nothing more reprehensible than women getting rich by oppressing other women and what the American MTs are being paid should be an embarrassment. Please do not tell me about your overhead....every person living has expenses - what makes the MTSO's more important?
I am a Canadian MT who will not QA work done in Third World countries. It is a personal choice. I will not train them in medical terminology or the English language. I have too much respect for the hardworking, dedicated women in North American working under the tyranny of companies who monitor their washroom breaks to help the Third World MTSOs make more money off the sweat of their MTs.
Yes, American and Canadian MTs have families and lives that may, at some time, require them to take off the shackles of their headsets. They are women, mothers, wives first .... not indentured servants to the transcription companies. Many people died for the freedom to speak and that right also extends to transcriptionists.
Not only same work ethic, but I'd be more fearful
of having them try to steal the account from me in one form or another (contacting the doc directly, offering to cover for vacation, sick time, etc.), especially if they know how well you are paid and are already familiar with the private accounts you sought for yourself.
Sorry, but I don't believe the sisterhood bond exists when there's opportunity for one's own advancement, even if it involves cutting another's throat in the process.
I guess that is what they call work ethic - sm
But even though it is hard, it depends on what is most important to you, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, or earning a living. When I first started this work at home, I told myself that I would do anything and I mean anything, to be successful. Even if it meant working until midnight, and believe me, there have been times when I HAVE worked until midnight and beyond, just to meet my TAT, but I did it. I work in my living room, where it is bright and airy. No TV. No radio or music. No distractions. I screen my phone calls and only answer the ones I know are important. I have injured friends' and family's feelings when they think that just because I am at home, I have time for their whims. I just look at it like it is a job just like any other. If I were in an office somewhere, I would not have time for cooking, cleaning, laundry, TV, etc. and the same applies at home. It is all in how much you want out of this. Working at home is not for everybody, but it works for me. Self-discipline, I guess. Good Luck to you. :^)
Yeah, work ethic! My parents were wealthy
and both inherited big bucks from their parents. My mother never worked a day in her life, including not caring for her kids. My Dad had a nice job. They made me work starting at age 12 to 13 as well. Work ethic? I went from being a kid to having to be an adult at 12. I never did anything fun on the weekends with my peers, like football games, soccer games - I had to work. I worked every day after school, and every weekend. And now I'm still plodding along working in my 50's. My kids don't have to work at 12 and 13. I want them to enjoy life while they can. This old work horse has great ethics, but had no childhood.
Is it good work ethic to ask to change accounts at natl company? Please SM
I work for a national company and overall I've been quite happy. However, they changed my primary account last fall, and I have been miserable since then. It is a teaching hospital, several hundred docs, tons of different rules about format, etc, that change almost daily, 80% ESL, and I am very unhappy with it and making less now than I have in the last 7 years I've been doing acute care transcription because I'm so slow on it. I get paid 8.5/line.
My question is, is it wrong to ask to change accounts? My quality is great, they are very happy with my work, and in fact have mentioned that many MTs have quit rather than do this account, and of course I realize someone has to do it. I'm so unhappy, yet I don't want to appear incompetent or a cherry picker, etc, if I were to ask for a change (which they would not have to do), and I would like to stay with this company if only I could find a way to be happy with the work, because it is a good place overall. Any thoughts on this? Thank you.
Not true anymore. That changed this past week when they decided that to go back to having PT MT'
I talked to my Coordinator who told me that during their meetings this past week at the office, it was decided that some PT positions were necessary.
The decision for FT only was officially made in September but they have decided to go back to having some PT MT's fo fill the needs of some accounts. There will be definite standards to be met, including must have one weekend shift and must do a minimum of 2500 lines a week, but there will be some PT MT's hired when needed. She did say that the number of positions would be limited, trying to fill accounts with FT MT's first.
This came directly from one of the Coordinators who was in the meetings last week.
Great people to work for, but I had to leave due to lack of work. Hopefully that has changed. SM
Most of us who do not live in California had to go IC. When I was there, they did not have statutory status, although they told me they did when they hired me. Their pay for VR is VERY low, not a living wage. Many of the folks in the office are ex-YOG and great to work for/with. Good luck.
The owners haven't changed, MT supe hasn't changed
I've been in their office. I know the people. It is a sweat shop and you will never be paid a decent amount or get respect. You won't know which is a good or a bad day for the person you report to until you literally get yelled at.
They have to offer bonuses because their reputation is that bad and nothing has changed. You may get work that has been recorded 3 times from some of the worst accounts you could ever imagine. They take accounts no one else will touch. That hasn't changed.
work when you want? unless that changed....sm
the owner is a really, really crude person....not nice at all, the threatening emails are CRAZY..how can they dictate a shift when you are ICs? I worked there for a quite a while and let me tell you, 1 year ago, that working when you want is NOT TRUE!
They changed buildings so maybe the phone number also changed...
They are still going strong...
Well sounds like nothing has changed. I work there now and it is exactly as you say.
Not sure how long I will stay. I wonder what kind of turnover they have with the lack of work, poor sound, etc. You would think they would get sick and tired of training new people. Their accounts arent what I would call easy accounts to learn. I guess it works for them or they would change their ways. With all the complaining these hospitals they have do about things you would think they would try to keep good MTs. I have never worked for a place with so much complaining about crazy stuff as they people do.
I work there and things apparently have changed since you were there.
Not all the people you named are still there nor is the dental plan Delta. It is Guardian. Insurance is excellent.
Now, they hire employees and not ICs. They do that for a reason. They can better schedule and meet TATs that way. I think employee status warrants meeting your hours, but what I do know is that they do allow some flexibility and if you need it, all you need to do is say it as long as it is not 12-hr flexibility. If you have to run out and get the kids, tell them.
This company is a good company. The people are quite nice. Their QA staff is good. They do follow the BOS to a tee.
It's a personal choice, but if someone did not at least check them out, I think they are missing out. They are very good. Best QA staff I have ever worked with.
My how things have changed. I am now drowning in work from
the new clients, I guess, and they are bringing on two more this week. Hip, hip, hooray! Might even get a bonus!!!
Unless things have changed drastically, they are NOT nice to work for.
You will get calls at all hours to work, mostly because no one has enough sense to realize that there is a big time difference between the east coast where they are and the west coast where I am. I routinely got calls from Rose between 4 and 5 a.m. to see why I was not working when my schedule was for 7 a.m. pacific time. The accounts were awful. And the recruiter is just that - do not believe all the praise and glory she heaps out. She may be sweet but don't fall for her line of bs.
Used to work there. Terrible experience. They may have changed their ways, tho
xx
No one said KS was out of work or low on work. The opposite is true. sm
I have heard that every account is busy. My primary is and both my secondary accounts are looking for extra help.
Isn't MDI Florida part of Transcend now? Maybe the work is going to India. They are pretty open about that.
This is so true. I bet we all work for the
same company. I still think it is great work and great accounts, just with you and the OP, don't understand how we just cannot at least be made to feel secure in our jobs. Why the constant fear. Catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but then again, fear of the economy is also a threat.
true, at least they can work in their jammies...sm
That was in the ad that started me in this rant in the first place. Stay home and stay in your slippers all day if you want. No gas expense? No uniform or clothing expense? (I don't know about you but I do wear clothes regardless if I am working or not, LOL
In the same paragraph...we are not a work when you want company.
All transcriptionists are scheduled on a daily duty roster. If a Transcriptionist is scheduled, then they are expected to be on working. While working from home does allow for distractions, _______ requires that all schedules be upheld per the scheduled roster without exception. This is not a “work when you want” corporation.
No, that's not true. They work with you. Yes, you have to be FT to get benefits. sm
but that is anywhere. They define FT by 12000 lines per period. They average it out. They take into consideration accounts, volume, slow periods, etc. If you are working FT and not getting the lines you need, they work with you to get there.
Someone is just trying to stir things up here, and I am not sure why, but it is very disheartening to see half-truths and lies about so many companies. I love working for Keystrokes. I average 2500-2700 lines per day but I have been doing this a long time and use my Expander for everything. I have an account that is considered a nightmare to some people, but I think that they come into it with a bad attitude. IMO, any account can be great once you get used to it, with Keystrokes or with any company, as long as the line count is accurate.
While it is true clients can set forth when the work is available
This particular ad stated these are straight shifts and not flexible. That is a no-no in IC, IMO. They can say when work is available but can't dictate what hours you work, period.
true, tho, would work for the painter. sm
painter - do not back down, have no fear, and stock up on gumption! We are all here with you as you represent ALL of us.
Yes, it's true you do not have to work weekends/nights
They let you choose your own work schedule when you start. They use Dictaphone with Word. It takes a bit of patience to get used to what you're supposed to do as far as finding the right visit or if the doctor inputs the wrong work type, etc., but as a program in general, it's simple to use.
True - Regardless of line rate, if the work isn't
flowing like you need/want it to, then you'll not make your goal.
They do not pay the MTs a true line count anyway. Why would anyone work for them? nm.
nm.
It does not matter who you work for, a true QA person
who is worth their weight in gold, will NOT take a position that pays any other way than by the hour. It does not matter if it is regular QA or ASR, there is no difference. I have seen ASR where you have to retype the entire report; of course that also means that you have to take out what is already there. If you are a QA specialist and have 100% listen, many blanks (I see them in every report), difficult dictators (which is no problem with me but is with the MTs), there is no way on earth you will make a wage if you are paid on production and these companies that do this, do not give a hoot about quality and they also do not give a hoot about their QA people.
Not true - been doing clinic work for 8 years
and while yes, there are things such as px and other things you can make macros for, my docs say a lot of different things based on who the dictation is going to and what the problem is, also personal things pertaining to that patient. I have found OP notes have more of the same things in them than clinic notes and can make you more money.
That is not true on all accounts. Mine is always out of TAT with plenty of work.
The teaching hospital accounts are pretty busy all the time. Ask to be put on one.
True but I got news for ya - you aren't going to get steady work anywhere that way.-
An MTSO has an account to cover. Period. She will give the work to whomever is willing to be flexible enough to cover the account. Even an IC has to work within some framework, not just whenever I feel like it, right?
i don't find that to be true, i work there & haven't had problems with pay. sm
never have i encountered disorganization or rude people so far. maybe things have changed or wrong company?
Not true. There are many industries that pay according to "piece work" or commission or any n
employee positions as well. If you are to be paid whether there is work or not, you would have to be a set hourly rate, no extra pay for really good production hours, etc. As an MT, I would lose money if that is the way I was paid. In any given week, I average 26.50 per hour for the 40 hours, but some of those hours I make $40 and some I make nothing.
You can believe those on this board saying NO WORK at Transtech ! Absolutely true !!
Getting worse and worse every day. They are going to VR at a VERY FAST PACE, which pays so little you cannot survive on the money UNLESS you work 60 hours a week OR are one of the supe's fav's that get the better dictators.
There is always an excuse by TT as to the low work, but remember that doesn't pay our creditors. Work disappears in large chunks when were at getting almost out of TAT (if ever) so it is going somewhere.
TT is turning out to be like every other MT company out there - more and more executives/supervisors to pay and not a single penny raise for the MT -- much less provide work for the MT's on a consistent basis -- not near consistent basis.
very true... MT wages won't cover holiday work and sm
grocery stores, nurses, those people usually VOLUNTEER and are not forced into their shifts. Some people want to work on holidays and get DOUBLE or TRIPLE pay, not 9 cents a line to do an ESL that makes you $10 an hour. And what does Obama have to do with it?
NOT TRUE! I worked every account and all work types and couldn't
nm
That's not always true. I have been editing a Powerscribe account for 2 years. The work sm
has actually steadily increased due to fewer and fewer radiologists self-editing their own work.
I know of at least 4 other Powerscribe accounts at Keystrokes that are also increasing in volume for the same reason.
I am sorry that the account you were on with Webmedx went to total self-edit. I know that Keystrokes had a few that did that too, just not all of them.
Glad that's true for you for 8 years. Not true for many. I love the company, but I do run out of
as do many others. Wish I were as fortunate as you.
Not necessarily true. That is not a true test of skill.
Do you know how many people get others to take tests for them? It happens and it happens more often than you might think. The only skill that shows anyway is that you can do it.
We are actually more than a transcriptionist. We are specialists in our field and we are supposed to know some things regarding anatomy and physiology as a working base. That's how we can judge if a physician dictates something in accurately and many do because they can't pronounce or just are not thinking. That's why our skills of basic knowledge come into play and that means basic knowledge of body parts. If our job was just to sit there and type without thinking about what we are transcribing, then all patients are in trouble and this is just based on what I see as a QA person.
It's more than just knowing how to transcribe and some of the companies have discovered how to know what your basic knowledge is based on what you have picked up with your experience by utilizing your references etc. Hopefully that utilization of your references has taught you something that does stick in your head.
Beliefs like yours are just so far off base. You have to know what you are doing. It's not just about being able to listen and type. Base knowledge is a very important thing and the services have to find a way to know that knowledge base that is there in your head.
This is true. Shift does matter. I work 2nd shift and really have not had any issues with not havi
x
They seem to have changed since I did..
I worked for them 6 years ago. I was an employee, I see now on their website they only hire ICs. I was very happy with them, basically could work when I wanted as long as the reports were back when due. However, they somehow decided that their pay scale was unfair to new hires, so those of us who had been there, got knocked down to the new hire scale and everyone basically had to start from scratch to level the playing field. I quit shortly after, was not going to take a pay cut. I believe at this same time they also started sending some stuff offshore, not something I was ready to deal with. If they still have the same owners (I think the guys name was Ed), I found him to be very rude and only interested in himself and his $$. I believe about 6 of us all quit at the same time because they downright rude. I am now with a big national and making about double what I did with Accutype because of better systems and support.
So nothing has changed...
Thanks for the headsup guys. I passed the test with them and received an email, but I guess nothing has changed from past posts.
Thanks again
I see nothing has changed in the last
year since I left MDI. This is exactly how they operate on every level. A lot of people don't mind but I stayed for way to long and have a much better position now without all the drama from MDI! Good luck to you.
Pay Changed
I also agree that you should not take the job, but if they did offer to come up to the original offer I would still not take it. In my mind, this is a either a very unorganized company or a manipulative company and either way it is unlikely things would change once actually working for them.
Must have changed
Their training period used to be for 4 weeks--it must have changed within the last year.
Unless it has changed
you get paid for training what you will be paid for when out of training.
i changed this yr from emp to IC (SE)
left the Q for another job...and i'd have to suggest job #2. I have been an employee for several decades, and wish i would have found the joy and freedom of being an IC-type years ago. I have my medical insurance through BC/BS of my state, and do that so i am free to change jobs if i want to. I get a little higher deductible and the premium is not so bad. As far as a computer, i decided to have a backup for my desktop and just yesterday purchased a laptop online from Circuit City (sale goes off today) for a toshiba A215-S4697, $600 (includes printer/wireless router/security software). That's less than half of what i invested in my desktop. Maybe that would be of interest to you? Feel free to e/m me if i can be of any further help. Either way, good luck!!
looks like nothing has changed much...
the owner gave me some sob story about how she wouldn't make any money if she paid us more than 1.5 cents/line to edit. PLEASE!!
Unless they have changed
since last year when I worked for them, and I doubt they have,stay away from them. They STILL call me and want me to call them and act as though I never worked for them before; I worked there 4 months. Cannot understand any of them when you need to talk to someone, never had any work even after they promised there would be plenty of work. I finally threw in the towel and left. Couldn't feed the family that way. I definitely do not wish this company upon anyone.
Could have changed but..
I elected NOT to take a position with them because the pay was the worst ever. They had VR accounts that they paid 1.5-2 cpl on I believe. There is NO way I'd do ANY work for that.
Nothing has changed.
They have told some that they have 'optimized' their work pool to eliminate the cesspool, but we are STILL getting cesspool. Nothing but empty promises.
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